The Laundromat
by Malcolm Yuy
Summary: Even inside a place such as the Lobby Laundromat, connections can be made between two different people...[Namixas, AU]


A.N.: Hello everyone! This will be my second Namixas fic. My first one was **Finding Christmas**, if anyone remembered reading it at-all. Anyways, this is my second stab into the pairing of the Nobodies of Sora and Kairi. I hope you'll like it.

I don't really remember where I got the idea for this from, but images of Sora's dark self leaning against the washer, listening to his mp3 player just wouldn't leave my mind.

Originally, Roxas was supposed to have an iPod in my image, but when I began writing it, I wanted it to be a Zune…but since I have a friend who has a PSP (which is pretty cool by the way), I decided to change it to that at the last moment. Sorry Apple and Microsoft people, I just wanted to advertise Sony electronics (since KH is primarily belongs to the PS franchise so far), so please don't kill me…

Well, here's the premiere of my second Namixas oneshot. Enjoy!

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"**The Laundromat"**

**By**

**Malcolm Yuy**

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The elevator opened as people moved outside into the bottom floor of a building. One person in particular sighed as he moved his way through the crowd of people, carrying a tub as he turned right towards a door. After twisting the knob, he stepped into the next room, the Lobby Laundromat. The male sighed, his eyes closed as he closed the door behind him.

"That was close. Too many people for me…" the young man opened his azure eyes as he looked around the room, a small smile forming upon his lips as he found other people sitting around the room, doing other things like reading a magazine, a book, or surfing the web on their notebook computers as they watched square machines spin a cycle of wares from time-to-time. The young man sighed as he pulled white earphones out of one of his hoodies pockets, and placed each earphone into his ear. He then viewed his PSP for a little bit, and navigated to a music folder, hitting the "X" button as some nice, smooth techno-rock music flowed into his ears.

_Ah, music…_the late teen thought, as he closed his eyes, listening to the embedded lyrics from _Hellogoodbye_. He then opened them as he made his way over to a washer and took out a keycard. He slid it through a nearby slot, and the washer door opened so he could put his clothes inside. The spiky-blond young man obliged as he dumped his clothes into the washer, before closing the door. A water-detergent mix then began filling the washer, before the clothes began to spin in a cycle. The male blond leaned against the washer as he closed his eyes and crossed his arms.

"_The wilted flowers that I gave, were not as nice as your bouquet, all the lyrics that I wrote, not as smart as the words you spoke…the starlight above my hometown, ain't as bright as the star I've found…Every drawing that I drew, was never ever as cute as you…_" The blond rocked his head to the beat he listened intently to the electric and bass guitars. He then opened his eyes as he looked at his clothes hamper. Lying inside the tub was a magazine. The young man smiled as he picked it up.

_Skateboarder Monthly _was the title of the piece of literature that the teen now held in his arms. And featured on the cover, performing a fifty-fifty grind on black railing, within a lopsided photo with skateboard helmet tattooed with stickers on the side, his spiky hair poking through, was none other than himself. The boy grinned as he observed the image of his cover shot. Roxas Hidou was his name. And as-of-late, the young man was at the age of nineteen.

Roxas lived in an apartment complex in a bustling metropolitan area known as Konrinzai Raivu City, otherwise known as K.R. City. K.R. City was a fairly new area as many people had migrated in an influx of thousands over the past few decades, Roxas included. His home of origin was Twilight Town, but once the young lad had reached skateboarding stardom, he had moved out and attempted to live a life of his own.

However, one thing the male blond didn't account for was how lonely it would be once he bought his own place.

Therefore, when his cousin and their best friends graduated high school, he invited them to move in.

And move in they did. Together, the four bedroom apartment was divided between him; Sora, his cousin, who had brown, differently spiked hair but the same eyes; Sora's best friend Riku Kurayami, a tall, chiseled young man with long silver hair and aquamarine colored eyes; and Axel Kaji, his best friend since…forever. Axel had very long, red spiky hair, and green eyes to match. And while Sora and Riku were attending college in the city, he and Axel would tear it up at the city skateboard park.

Life hadn't been the same since Twilight Town.

And Roxas loved every minute of it.

But sometimes, the teen wished he could just take a step back. Being famous didn't come easy, and the young man had to learn that the hard way. Like for example, when he came back from tour, he and Axel celebrated by shredding their skills at the local park.

To the normal eye, Roxas and Axel would like any normal person, as normal as it could get at least. They both wore a combination of Goth and skaterwear, Axel having heavy emphasis on the Goth, and Roxas on skateboarding. When the two had approached the vert ramp to begin their play of tricks, they were stopped as surrounding fans swarmed the blond. He couldn't help but smile uneasily as people asked him for autographs, and for him to perform his signature moves. Thankfully, Axel had stepped aside and allowed him to do so, but the blond knew that pyromaniac was far from happy about what had transpired that day. He wanted to spend the day with his best friend, not the skateboard star.

But stardom had its price. And the price almost ruined their friendship.

Roxas shook his head as he dispelled the memory from his mind. At least things were patched up now, and their bond was stronger than ever before.

And now Roxas was stuck doing laundry duty for the next few hours of his life. The blond sighed as he was now listening to a rock track, a smirk forming on his lips as he chuckled lightly. Sometimes he wished he had finished high school and moved on to college so he could avoid laundry duty. It was boring and tedious, even if he had music to listen to or a magazine to read. Eventually he would run out of tracks to hear, and pages to view, and then the boredom would creep in. Living an out-of-ordinary life for someone his age had its pros and cons indeed.

As the rock song ended, Roxas placed his hand in the pocket of his white zipper hoodie to advance to the next track. If an artist sat before him to sketch his portrait, the blond was currently wearing his white zipper hoodie, unzipped, with _Organization _inscribed on his left of where the zipper divided the jacket and_ XIII _on the right in cursive script. Underneath he wore a simple black tee, a heart chain necklace,a black spike-studded belt with blue jeans and grey Converse sneakers, his eyes closed as a serene smile was upon his face. He continued listening to his music, feeling something press against his left shoulder, or more particularly, a hand. Roxas opened his eyes as he looked towards his left. "Huh?" He stopped his PSP as he took out his earphones and placed them in his pocket, as his eyes surveyed the person before him.

As he observed the person, Roxas couldn't help but immediately decide that she was the _most _beautiful girl he had seen in his life. Or one of the most, for it didn't really matter as he quickly snapped his mouth shut at the sight of her, his blue eyes taking her in.

The young woman at his side had blond hair, just like him, yet her eyes were of a different hue. They were light blue, with a hint of violet, something the male blond had never seen before. Maybe that's what made her seem even more unreal to him.

And yet, she was touching him. She smiled as she had now caught his gaze.

"Um, I was wondering if I could use the washer next to you, if you don't mind," she stated softly. Roxas flushed, before quickly responding to her sentence.

"Yeah, sure, no problem," the blond answered, moving to sit at the bench before him. The female blonde swiped her keycard, before placing her clothes in. Once the wash cycle started, she sat beside him. Roxas took this moment to get a closer inspection of her. She wore a white strapped linen cami top with a brown jacket, blue jeans, and some heels. She looked very put together he decided, and the best feature he liked (other than her visage) was her hair. To him, it seemed to be so light, so feathery that he wanted to _touch _it.

But he shook his head. He just had to keep himself together. He looked at his wash cycle. He still had twenty minutes until his next cycle. Then he had to go back up and get more clothes. He groaned.

"Something wrong?" the girl asked. The boy flushed as he turned to her. He sighed before answering her.

"I _hate _washing clothes," the young man answered admittedly as he looked back to looking to where he was before. She laughed, causing him to glance back at her. "What?" he questioned. The young woman quieted down as she put her hand over her mouth, a smile still read in her eyes as she continued regarding the boy sitting next to her.

"I don't know…I just find it funny…" she trailed off. As Roxas caught her gaze, she flushed as she looked away.

"Why?" He asked. The girl turned to look back at him, choosing her choice of words before responding.

"Well, I don't know…I just do," she couldn't help but giggle as she smiled at him. Roxas couldn't help but return her smile as he found her giggles contagious, if that were at all possible. His smile was reflected into his blue orbs as he gazed into hers.

"Well then maybe you're weird," he commented. The young woman smirked, nodding in mock agreement.

"Maybe." The two then broke out into a laugh, having everyone around them stop what they were doing to focus their attention upon them. They abruptly stopped as they noticed the unwanted attention, both unknowingly blushing. The nearby residents then resumed their previous actions, but Roxas and the beautiful blonde before him still sat there in silence for a few moments, before either one of them tried to speak. It was then Roxas's decision to break the proverbial ice, so to say. A hint of an upside-down frown graced his features as he stared at her.

"The name's Roxas," he stated, as he extended a hand. The girl smiled as she softly took his and shook it.

"Naminé," she responded, her hand leaving his as it retreated to her lap. Roxas mentally frowned as he already missed the warmth her hand created when it was intermingled with his.

"So Naminé, what do you do?" the male blond asked, beginning his attempts to make feeble conversation. He just hoped to high heaven that it would work. And it did as the girl, now known as Naminé, answered him.

"I attend college. I'm an art student. I'm currently in my second year," she plainly stated. Roxas raised an eyebrow at her statement, which piqued his interest. He then continued to keep the conversation going.

"Really? Let me guess, you go to K.R.U," he inquired. Naminé nodded in concurrence. "I had a feeling. I have two friends who go there," he further explained.

"Are you a student?" the female blonde asked in return. Roxas just shook his head.

"Nah, I'm only a high school grad. I would be a sophomore like you if I had decided to go." He closed his eyes as he placed his hand upon his chin in thought. "I decided a long time ago that college wasn't for me," the blond said. Naminé tilted her head.

"Then how do you support yourself?" she inquired. Roxas smiled, his eyes opened as mirth filled with them.

"Well, about that, the truth is…I don't live alone. My cousin, his best friend, and mine all live with me. We share the two bedroom apartment. And well, how I support myself…I'm a skateboarder," he stated, before showing her his magazine cover. Naminé's eyes widened as she examined it. She then looked back up at him.

"You know, now that I think about it, I might have seen you perform before," she said, wiggling a finger. Roxas slightly blushed as he scratched the back of his head.

"Hmm, that's interesting…where at?" he questioned.

"At the K.R. City Boarding Expo. My brother Demyx is a boarder too," she said.

"Demyx? Demyx Yoku?"

"Demyx _YakYoku. _He dropped the 'yak' to sound more serious," Naminé explained. Roxas could only chuckle.

"I bet." He then looked away as he asked the next question. "So…what did you think of me?" he asked.

"Well, I have to admit, I'm not much into skateboarding, but when I saw you, I thought you were awesome," the female blonde commented. The blond young man gazed up into her violet-blue orbs with his own blue orbs.

"Really? I'm glad you think so," he smiled. The young woman returned it.

"You're welcome." Silence then ensued for a few minutes, before the discourse picked up again.

"So what about you Naminé..? How do you support yourself?" Roxas inquired.

"Well, like you, I share my apartment with my friends. Only, it's two other girls. We've been best friends since childhood," Naminé answered, smiling as she recounted her childhood memories. Roxas smirked as he noticed this.

"And are they college students too?" he asked. The blonde nodded.

"And then we work part-time for our income. Each of our parents' pay for tuition and books…well, as long as we make the grades anyway," she replied. Roxas's mouth was set in a thin line when she said that.

"I see." Roxas's blue orbs then looked up as he noticed that his wash cycle had ended. He sighed as the door swiveled open, and he pulled his clothes out, damp and thin from being tossed and turned in several times. After closing the door, he then swiped his card in the dryer and below, and when the door opened, he threw his clothes inside. After closing the door, noise generated as the garments began moving around. Roxas sighed as he remained standing up.

"Well, if you excuse me Naminé, I'll be right back with more clothes," Roxas said. The girl nodded.

"Don't worry Roxas; I'll still be here when you get back. I still have to dry my clothes," Naminé stated. The male blond smiled.

"Okay…" He then took his clothes hamper and left the room. Minutes later, he returned, holding a different hamper. He grinned as he passed by the female, swiping his card to load new clothes into the washer.

"How long do you think you'll be here?" Naminé asked. Roxas turned to look at her.

"..Probably another three hours," he uttered. The female blonde pouted at his answer.

"Sorry," she sympathized. The blond male just shrugged his shoulders.

"It's okay. It's not like I have anything to do right now anyways." Naminé then wigged a finger as she gazed upon him.

"Then would you mind if I shared your company for a little while?" she asked. A slight blush worked its way onto Roxas's features as he shook his head.

"No, not at all…" Naminé returned his smile.

"Great…"

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"…and that's how the Twilight Town Animal Shelter burst into flames," Roxas said, sitting to the female blonde's left. Naminé laughed as the blond finished his story.

"Did Axel ever get caught?" she asked. Roxas just shook his head.

"Nope. To this very day, Axel is still a free and living…I-don't-know-what," he replied. The girl couldn't contain herself as she continued giggling in his presence. Roxas continued smiling as he regarded her. He felt…captured by her. He placed his hands in his hoodie pockets.

"Well Naminé, I got one more load to wash, so I'll be right back," he replied. The blond female softly nodded.

"Okay." Roxas hurried off to grab his cousin's load of clothes, before impatiently waiting on the elevator to descend back down to the lobby so he could return to the awaiting blonde angel. He picked up his pace as he led his feet back into the Lobby Laundromat, a smile still adorned upon his physiognomy as he made his way in.

However, his smile was stopped short as soon as he looked at the bench the girl he had known for the last two hours had occupied, finding her gone. He immediately frowned as he approached it.

"Maybe I was a bore to her…" the male blond whispered to himself. As he got ever closer to the white, polished surface, he saw that his magazine lied upon it. And as he finally stood there before it, the spiky-haired young man noticed a torn piece of paper lying atop of the literature. "Huh?" Roxas picked the magazine up, and the piece of paper along with it. He then noticed a elegant, cursive scribble on it, and read what it detailed:

_Roxas,_

_I would have stayed for another hour if I wasn't called in. Sorry. I had to go to work on short notice. But in the moment we talked to each other, I couldn't help but feel a connection with you. I hope you feel the same._

_Until we see each other again,_

_Sincerely,_

_Naminé_

A small smile crept onto Roxas's face as his blue eyes searched the piece of paper, before transforming back into a frown. He then sighed as he peered at her name.

"A number would've been nice…" He then noticed more scribbled under what he thought was the last of the note.

_P.S. I apologize for tearing up part of your magazine to write this, I hope you don't mind…I live in Room 319, and am usually available everyday from five to seven. Hopefully you'll visit sometime._

Roxas smirked as he read the real, final part of the note. A small chuckle then escaped his lips before he spoke.

"But her room number, now _that's _a whole lot better…"

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And that's the end of **The Laundromat**. I hope you did enjoy it. I enjoyed writing it.

If you're interested in any more of my KH fics, then hit my profile and read them. Right now I'm only working on a chaptered Sokai (AU), but I plan on working on my first chaptered Namixas soon. It'll be titled **What Happens After Next? **It's primarily a Romance/Humor, so for those of you who **are **reading my Sokai, don't expect anything too deep and serious there.

Well as always, please review if you can, I like reviews. I like them a lot…

And until the next time, later skaters! - _Malcolm Yuy_


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